How Mobile Malware Uses The Web

Mobile malware uses the web in various ways. For one, in many cases, malicious URLs are classified as mobile malware disease vectors. We already discussed how cybercriminals utilize them to infiltrate mobile devices in last month’s Mobile Review, The Dangers of Third-Party Apps Sites.

Through malicious URLs, coupled with social engineering techniques, cybercriminals are able to slip malicious apps onto your devices. Since mobile malware attacks are often two-pronged, the involvement of malicious URLs does not stop there.

Cybercriminals not only use malicious URLs to infect your devices with malware, they also need them for further communication. Mobile malware such as backdoors and malicious downloaders need this communication in order to stay undetected and carry out their malicious activities on your device.

Of all the malicious apps we’ve detected so far, 17% have malicious URLs embedded in them. And among those malicious URLs, 90% are classified as disease vectors. This means that when these malicious apps are installed, they will communicate with these URLs to download other malware or malware components.

Around 60% of the malicious URLs queried by malicious apps use North American domains; while 24% and 16% use EMEA (European, Middle Eastern, and African) and Asia Pacific domains, respectively.

This is discussed in detail in our latest Mobile Review, The Communication Function of Malicious URLs.

Since malicious apps rely on malicious URLs for installation and communication, you will need a security solution that blocks threats using reputation technology. Trend Micro Mobile Security Personal Edition provides just that and protects you against malicious apps and URLs.

Post from: Trendlabs Security Intelligence Blog – by Trend Micro

How Mobile Malware Uses The Web